Apparatus for transferring a casting from vertical to horizontal position



Aug. 25, 1970 KARL-HEINZ GOLDE 3,5

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A CASTING FROM VERTICAL TO HORIZONTALPOSITION Filed May 7, 1968 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 1 g FIGZ i l' A F G O Ic O I8 l I4- Fri l 35L I i m; 25 v 15 i 38 l l6 i 26 1 i 34 3 H i 25 ,5"{/39 7 INVENTOR. i 23a KARL'HEINZ GOLDE BY M %/M;% 19" United StatesPatent 3,525,383 APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A CASTING FROM VERTICAL T0HORIZONTAL POSITION Karl-Heinz 'Golde, Ratingen, Germany, assignor toSchloemann Aktiengesellschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany, a company of GermanyFiled May 7, 1968, Ser. No. 727,302 Claims priority, applicationGermany, May 10, 1967, 1,558,309 Int. Cl. B22d 11/12 US. Cl. 164-263 9Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vertically movable first carriage isadapted to receive and support the lower end of a continuous castingthat moves down in vertical alignment. A second carriage having anelongated bed to support a section severed from the casting is movablefrom a first position, in which its bed is adjacent and approximatelyparallel to the vertical path of movement of the first carriage, to asecond position, in which its bed is approximately horizontal. Asevering device is arranged to sever a lower end section from thecasting which is supported on the first carriage, and means is providedto support the severed end section on the first carriage as the firstcarriage moves down to a position adjacent the lower end of the secondcarriage when the latter is in its first position. A tilting device isthen operable to tip several sections so that its upper portion leans onthe bed of the second carriage. When the first carriage is adjacent thelower end of the second carriage and the latter is in its firstposition, a lever is operable to slide a latch pin on the first carriagefor latching, or unlatching, the first carriage to the second. The firstcarriage is moved -up and down by a driven chain or cable hoistconnected in such a way as to be operable also to move the secondcarriage when the carriages are latched together and the hoist isoperated to lift the first carriage. Each carriage is alsocounterbalanced by its own counterweight, the counterweights for therespective carriages being arranged to act in concert when the twocarriages are latched together.

The present invention is apparatus for transferring a length of casting,which has been severed from a vertically aligned continuous casting,from vertical alignment to a substantially horizontal position fromwhich it is moved onto a conveyor mechanism for transporting the severedlength in a horizontal direction.

In known continuous-casting plants, in which the casting emerges fromthe bottom of the casting mold as a straight, vertically aligned strand,the casting is cut into suitable lengths for further handling andprocessing by severing successive lengths from its lower end. Thesevered sections of the casting are then shifted to a horizontalposition in which they are moreeasily conveyed to subsequent workstations. In a known arrangement the lower end of the continuous castingextends down into a pit below shop-floor level. The lower end section,which is severed, is received and supported by a first, or receiving,carriage which is moved up and down by a suitable driven hoist. Thereceiving carriage, which rides on rails, guides the lower end of thecasting down to its lowest point, at which the severed section istransferred to a second, or transfer, carriage. The first carriage isthen moved up to engage the new lower end of the continuous casting toguide that end down and the second carriage is drawn up out of the pivotby a second hoist. The second carriage also moves on rails andtransports the severed section to a position in which it is moved ontoconveyor mechanism, which transports the severed section in a horizontalpath.

3,525,383 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 This known receiving and transferringapparatus requires two separate drive connections, one for the first, orreceiving, carriage and another for the second, or transfer, carriage.Moreover, the means for transferring the severed casting section fromthe first to the second carriage is such that it is possible for thesection to stick on the first carriage and drop between the twocarriages as the second is moved up out of the pit.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved apparatusfor receiving the lower end of a vertically aligned continuous casting,which is severed, and transferring the severed section up intohorizontal position in line to be moved onto conveyor mechanism, such asa roller table.

Another object is to provide apparatus for this purpose in which thereceiving and transferring carriages are both operated through the samedrive connection, and in which there is no chance of the severed sectiondropping between the carriages which accomplish the reeciving andtransferring.

In accordance with the invention, a first car, which is verticallymovable up and down by a driven chain or hoist, is adapted to receiveand support the lower end of a continuous casting and guide the lowerend of the casting downward. A second carriage, which has an elongatedbed to support a severed section of the casting, is movable from a firstposition in which the bed is adjacent and approximately parallel to thelower end portion of the vertical path of movement of the firstcarriage, up to a second position, in which the bed is in substantiallyhorizontal alignment with the support surface of a conveyor for asevered section of casting. The first carriage is adapted to ride on afixed vertical track. The second carriage also has a track for the firstcarriage along its bed surface and is mounted so that when the secondcarriage is in its first position its track is vertically aligned withthe fixed vertical track. Thus, the first carriage is adapted, whilesupporting the lower end of a downwardly moving casting, to move down ontrack to the lower end of the second carriage, when the latter is in itsfirst position. A severing device mounted to move parallel to thecasting for severing the casting has a releasable clamp associated withit to clamp the casting below the point at which the casting is severedto hold the severing device in a fixed position on the casting so as tobe able to sever the casting while the casting is moving. The clamp alsoserves to support the severed section in vertical alignment on the firstcarriage as the first carriage moves down to its lowermost position atthe bottom end of the second carriage.

A slidable latch pin on the first carriage is adapted to attach thefirst carriage to the second carriage when the first carriage is at thelower end of the second. Actuating mechanism is provided for moving thelatch pin to latching or unlatching position when the second carriage isin its first position and the first carriage is at the lower end of thesecond carriage.

When the first carriage, supporting a severed end section of casting, isat the lower end of the second carriage, which is in its first position,and the clamp on the severing device has been released, a tilting deviceis 0perated to tilt the severed section to lean against the bed of thesecond carriage. Then, when the two carriages are latched together bythe latch pin, the two will move as a unit, with the severed sectionsupported thereon, when the second carriage is moved to its secondposition.

The chain or cable hoist for moving the first carriage and the path ofmovement of the second carriage are arranged so that the hoist, beingoperated to apply lifting pressure on the first carriage when the twocarriages are latched together, operates to move the two carriages as aunit to the second position of the second carriage. Thus, a single driveconnection is effective to move both carriages for the receiving andtransferring operation of the apparatus. In addition, the amount ofpower required to drive the carriages in this manner, is minimized byconnecting separate counterweights respectively to the two carriages insuch a way that they counterbalance the movements of the respectivecarriages when the carriages are separate, but act in concert tocounterbalance the movement of the unit formed by latching the carriagestogether.

An illustrative embodiment of the receiving and transferring apparatusof this invention is described below with reference to accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of apparatus embodying theinvention, showing the parts in one position in full lines and showingsome of the same parts in dash lines indicating a successive operativeposition of these parts; and

FIG. 2 is another schematic side elevation of the same apparatus shownin FIG. 1, illustrating additional successive operative positions ofsome of the parts.

Referring to the drawings a continuous casting of metal from acontinuous-casting mold (not shown) is guided vertically downiward bypinch rolls 11 and its lower end is received and supported in the well12 of a first, or receiving, carriage 13.

The first carriage 13 is movable up and down on a fixed vertical track14, and on track 15, which is on a second, or transfer, carriage 16 andWhich is in vertical alignment below the lower end of fixed track 14when the second carriage is in its first position, indicated in fulllines in FIG. 1. A chain or cable hoist .17 is connected to move thefirst carriage 13 up and down and consists of a chain or cable 18attached at one end to the first carriage 13- through a shock absorber19. From the first carriage 13, the chain or cable 18 passes over anidler pulley 20*, under an idler pulley 21, and then over a drivenpulley 22 to a counterweight 23 that is attached to its other end tocounterbalance the weight of the first carriage 13. The driven pulley 22is connected to be reversibly driven by reversible drive means (notshown).

The second carriage 16, carrying tracks 15, has a row of rollers 25 onsupports 26, which project above the tracks 15, to form a bed for asection 10a. severed from the casting 10. Projections 27 and 28 from theunderside of the second carriage 16 have rollers 27a and 28a thereonmounting the ends of the second carriage 16 respectively on tracks 29and 30 for moving the second carriage 16 from a first position to asecond position. In the first position of the second carriage 16, shownin full lines in FIG. 1, its bottom end rests on a shock absorber 24;its track 15 is vertically aligned with the lower end of the fixedvertical track 14 and its bed, defined by rollers 25-, is adjacent andapproximately parallel to (but spaced from) the vertical path ofmovement of a casting 10 supported on the first carriage 13. In thesecond position of second carriage 16, shown in dash lines in FIG. 2.,its bed is substantially horizontal, and, as indicated, a castingsection 10a carried on it is in line to be dragged oil and directly ontoa horizontal conveyer, which is indicated by the first roller 45 of aconventional roller table (not shown). The section 10a may be draggedfrom the bed of the second carriage by a winch, tractor or othersuitable conventional means.

For moving the second carriage 16 between its first and second positionsthe rollers 28a on projections 28 at its lower end ride on the track 29which extends up and slightly to the right from a vertical line whilethe rollers 27a on projections 27 at its upper end move along the gentlyupwardly sloping track 30.

The movement of the second carriage 16 is assisted by a counterweight31. The counterweight is adapted to partially counterbalance the weightof the second carriage and is attached to one end of a cable 32, whichpasses over an idler pulley 33 with its other end attached to the secondcarriage through a shock absorber 34.

As the casting 10 moves downward with its lower end supported in thefirst carriage 13, the lower end section 10a is severed by a flamecutting device 35 which moves down with the casting. For this purpose,the flame cutting device 35 is vertically movable on a track 36 parallelto the vertical alignment of the casting .10 and has a releasable clamp37 mounted below it to clamp the flame device to the casting 10 at thepoint at which it is desired to sever the casting. The clam 37 alsoserves to hold the severed end section 10a in vertical alignment afterthe severing is complete.

At the start of an operation of the apparatus the flame cutting device35 with its clamp 37 in release position are moved up to the top portionof its track 36 (shown in FIG. 1) and held there until thre lower end ofthe casting 10, moving down from the first carriage 13, has moved downfar enough so that the length of casting 10 below the flame device isthe length desired to be severed. The clamp is then clamped on thecasting so that the flame cutting device 35 moves down with the castingand may be operated to sever the lower end section 10a as the castingmoves down. When the first carriage 13, supporting the lower end of thesection 100, reaches its lowermost position adjacent the lower end ofthe second carriage 16 shown in full lines in FIG. 2, the flame cuttingdevice 35 will be in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2. If thesevering has been completed, the clamp 37 will hold the severed section10a in vertical alignment until the clamp is released; after release ofthe clamp the section 10a is held in vertical alignment by a verticalsupport 38 adjacent the lower portion of the vertical path of movementof the first carriage 13.

The first carriage 13 carries a slidable latch pin 39 for attaching thefirst carriage 13 to the lower end of the second carriage 16. When thesecond carriage is in its first position and the first carriage is atthe lower end of its path of movement, adjacent the lower end of thesecond carriage, the latch pin 39 is in line to be slid to latching orunlatching position, respectively to connect or disconnnect the twocarriages, by a lever 40, which is pivotally mounted in position at thelower end of the paths of movement of the two carriages 13 and 16. Thelatch pin 39 is provided with a downwardly projecting stud 41 that isadapted to drop down into a.v hole 42 in the lever 40 and thus connectthe latch pin 39 to the lever 40 to be actuated thereby, when the firstcarriage is in its lowermost position. The lever 40 may suitably beoperated by conventional hydraulic or pneumatic devices.

At the start of an operation of the apparatus the second carriage is inits first position, which is its normal, at rest, position. Thus, asfirst carriage 13, supporting the lower end of the casting 10, movesdown it travels down the track 14 and then down to the lower end of thetrack 15 on the second carriage. During this movement the flame cuttingdevice 35, attached to the casting 10 by clamp 37, moves down with thecasting and severs casting end sections 10a. When the first carriage 13reaches the lower end of second carriage 16, or just prior thereto, theclamp 37 is released; the section 10a is then held in vertical alignmentby the vertical support 38. The movement of the first carriage 13 downto the lower end of its path of movement causes the stud 41 of the latchpin 39 to engage the lever 40, which is then actuated to slide the pin39 and attach the first carriage 13 to the second carriage 16. A leverdevice 43 mounted to be adjacent the side of the section 10a facing awayfrom second carriage 16 is adapted to swing outward and tilt, oroverbalance, the section 10a so that the upper portion of the section10a leans against the rollers 25 at the upper portion of the secondcarriage. The section 10a is thus supported on the second carriage 16 byits lower end on the first carriage 13 and its upper end leaning againstthe bed of the second carriage defined by rollers 25.

The driven pulley 22 is then driven in a direction to lift the firstcarriage 13, and, since the first and second carriages are now attached,this lifts the two carriages as a unit. As shown, the path of movementof the second carriage 16 and the direction of the lifting pressure thusapplied is such that the second carriage 16, with the first carriage 13attached, and a casting section a supported thereon, is raised up to itssecond position.

The amount of lifting power required for this movement is reduced by thecounterweights 23 and 31 which are arranged, as illustrated, to act inconcert when the two carriages 13 and 16 are connected.

When the second carriage 16 reaches its second position, the section 10ais moved off on to the adjacent conveyor, indicated by roller 29. Thedrive for driven pulley 22 is then reversed to let the two carriages 13and 16 down again to the first position of the first carriage at whichthe lever 40 is again actuated to slide the latch pin 39 to disconnnectthe carriages so that the first carriage can be moved vertically up thetracks and 14 to engage the new lower end of the casting 10.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for receiving a continuous-casting that is conveyeddownward in a vertical direction, and transferring a section severedfrom the lower end of the casting to a substantially horizontalposition, said apparatus comprising: a vertically movable first carriagefor receiving and supporting the lower end of a vertically alignedcontinuous casting; means for moving the first carriage up and down in avertical direction and being adapted for moving the first carriagedownward with the lower end of said casting supported thereon; a secondcarriage having an elongated bed for supporting a severed section ofsaid casting; said second carriage being movable from a first position,in which its bed is adjacent and approximately parallel to the verticalpath of movement of the first carriage, to a second position in whichits bed is approximately horizontal; means for severing an end sectionfrom the lower end portion of a continuouscasting supported on the firstcarriage; means for supporting said severed section in approximatelyvertical alignment as the first carriage, with the severed sectionsupported thereon, moves down to a position adjacent the lower end ofthe second carriage when the second carriage is in its first position;means for moving a severed section of casting supported on the firstcarriage to a position in which the severed section leans against thebed of the second carriage, and is supported thereon by gravity, whenthe first carriage is adjacent the lower end of the second carriage andthe latter is in its sai'd first position; and means for releasablyattaching the first carriage to the second carriage when the firstcarriage is adjacent the lower end of the second carriage; the path ofmovement of the second carriage from its first to its second positionbeing upward and outward in a direction in which the means for movingthe first carriage upward is also operative for moving the secondcarriage from its first to its second position when the first carriageis attached thereto.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means for moving the firstcarriage comprises a power driven chain or cable hoist.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 which includes separate counterweightsoperatively connected respectively to the first and second carriages forcounterbalancing the weights of the respective carriages in thedirections in which they move, whereby the counterweights operate inconcert when the first carriage is attached to the second.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means for moving the severedsection supported on the first carriage to a position in which thesection is supported on the bed comprises means for tilting the upperportion of said section to lean against the bed of the second carriage,and in which the movement of the second carriage from its first to itssecond position is upward and outward in the direction in which saidsection is tilted.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means for releasably attachingthe first carriage to the second comprises a pin slidably carried on oneof the first and second carriages in position to be slidable intolatching connection with the other of the first and second carriageswhen the first carriage is adjacent the lower end of the secondcarriage, and which includes lever means for sliding said pin betweenits latching and unlatching positions, said lever means being unountedto be in operative alignment with said pin when the first carriage isadjacent the lower end of the second carriage and the latter is in itsfirst position.

6. Apparatus for receiving a continuous-casting that is conveyeddownward in a vertical direction, and transferring a section severedfrom the lower end of the casting to a substantially horizontalposition, said apparatus comprising: a first carriage for receiving andsupporting the lower end of the casting; means for moving the firstcarriage up and down in a vertical direction; a second carriage havingelongated track means along which the first carriage is adapted to move,said second carriage being movable to and from a first position in whichits track means is in vertical alignment to receive the downwardlymoving first carriage and to guide the first carriage down to the lowerend of the track means; means for releasably attaching the firstcarriage to the lower end of the second carriage; means for severing anend section from the lower end portion of the casting when the lower endof the casting is supported on the first carriage; said second carriagehaving a longitudinal bed portion extending vertically adjacent, butspaced from, the normal vertical position of the axis of a casting,supported on the first carriage which is on the second carriage when thelatter is in its first position; said bed portion being of sufficientlength to support a severed section of casting when the bed is in ahorizontal position; means operative, when the second carriageis in itsfirst position and the first carriage is at the lower end of the trackmeans of the second carriage with a severed casting section supported onthe first carriage, for tilting the latter section to cause the upperportion of the latter section to lean against the bed portion of thesecond carriage while the lower end of the latter section is supportedon the first carriage; and means for guiding the second carriage formovement from its first position, upward, and outward in the directionin which a severed section is tilted, to a position in which its bedportion is substantially horizontal, whereby, when the first carriage isattached to the second carriage, the means for moving the first carriageoperates to move the second carriage and a severed casting sectionthereon from the first to the second position of the second carriage.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 including a vertical track for the firstcarriage, said vertical track being aligned for guiding movement of thefirst carriage down onto, and up from, the track means of the secondcarriage when the second carriage is in said first position.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 in combination with conveyor means for asevered casting section, said conveyor means being aligned to receive asevered casting section from the bed portion of the second carriage whenthe second carriage is in its second position, said bed portion havingrollers for supporting a severed casting section thereon and forfacilitating removal of the latter casting section onto said conveyormeans.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 including a device for severing the casting,said severing device being mounted to move in a vertical path paralleland adjacent to the vertically moving casting, and releasable clampmeans mounted below the severing device to be movable therewith forgripping the casting to hold the severing device 7 8 at a predeterminedposition relative to the length of the FOREIGN PATENTS casting and tosupport the upper end of the severed lower 1 026 420 4/1966 Great B mainend portion of the casting in vertical alignment as the castmg movesdownward- I. SPENCER OVERH-OLSER, Primary Examiner References Cited 5 J.E. ROETHEL, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CL XR. 3,423,1122/1969 Cuscino 164--263 X 16470,282

